2017 GEORGIA COUNTRY TEEN SHOWCASE WINNER: CALEB HUTCHINSON

Caleb Hutchinson won the 2017 Georgia Country Teen Showcase on Saturday, June 24th at Sixes Tavern. He will join five other teen talents in the finals of the 2017 Georgia Country Awards, November 10th at The Crazy Bull in Macon. Below is our interview with Caleb. Also, be sure to check out his videos as well.

GC: Caleb, you started singing at a very early age. What was your first memory of performing in front of an audience?

CH: My first memory performing was at my 6th grade music showcase held at my middle school. It was my first time playing in front of an audience and I had only been playing guitar for a month or so.

GC: When did you start to play the guitar?

CH: I started playing guitar half way through my 6th grade year while staying at my aunts house where their neighbors played music. I sat with them and wouldn't stop asking them to teach me how to play and watching them.

GC: Early on, what singers influenced you the most?

CH: Early on some of my biggest musical inspirations were Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Hank Williams Jr., John Prine and Waylon Jennings. Me and my dad would ride around in his truck and listen to these artists.

GC: Was there any one country singer that inspired you to do country music?

CH: I was inspired by many country singers to sing country music. From an early age I saw that country music had a certain way of telling stories and carrying emotions in a way that other genres did not. I was heavily drawn to Hank Williams Jr. and Merle Haggard as people who I wanted to be like.

GC: What was your first song you wrote and what inspired that?

CH: The first song I wrote was called "Drink You Away" and it was written after my Uncle spent months trying to get me to write a song. He would throw little lines that he thought of my way until one finally gave me some inspiration. I was 13 at the time of writing it.

GC: Even at a young age, your sound is more traditional than what we hear on today's radio. What made you want to be a more traditional sound rather than "bro" country or what is mainstream today?

CH: Early on I gravitated towards classic country music as opposed to more modern country. I listen to both modern and classic country but I find that most of my songs are more fitted to the classic sound.

GC: You were on NBC's The Voice. What was your #1 lesson from being part of that process?

CH: That process taught me that anything is possible and to follow my dreams my own way.

GC: What would your main advise for any other young act that may want to try out for shows like The Voice, American Idol and America's Got Talent?

CH: Shows like that are an incredible experience and provide you with a lot of neat lessons, experiences, and friends. Have fun with it but do not let it determine your worth as an artist. Television is television.

GC: Locally, what is your favorite place to play and why?

CH: I love to play at the Milltown Music Hall in Bremen, GA as it was the first place I was able to play in front of a large crowd and through winning the West GA sing-off that was hosted there multiple times I was given the chance to open up for acts such as Bo Bice, The Kentucky HeadHunters, Gene Watson, Rhonda Vincent, T Graham Brown, and Jimmy Fortune.

GC: What plans do you have for the rest of the year?

CH: I plan of continuing to perform, writing and recording new material, and taking advantage of every opportunity that comes my way.